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Home -> 5776 -> Ki Savo

והיו חייך תלואים לך מנגד ופחדת לילה ויומם ולא תאמין בחייך

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Ki Savo, 5776

Your life will hang in the balance, and you will be frightened night and day, and you will not be sure of your livelihood. (28:66)

Blessing and curse are a matter of perspective. Two people can view the same situation through different prisms, allowing them to derive separate conclusions. The Torah writes that, as a result of the nation’s break with Hashem, they will be subject to various curses: “Your life will hang in the balance… you will not be sure of your livelihood.” Rashi explains that Jews will not be sure of their safety. Concerning their livelihoods, they will be forced to subsist on what they can purchase daily. They will never be sure that the markets will not be shut down – in…

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Home -> 5776 -> Ki Savo

בניך ובנותיך נחנים לעם אחר... בנים ובנות תוליד ולא יהיו לך כי ילכו בשבי

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Ki Savo, 5776

Your sons and daughters will be given to another people… you will bear sons and daughters, but they will not be yours, for they will go into captivity. (28:32,41)

At first glance, these two separate curses appear redundant. Upon closer perusal, however, one sees a striking difference. In the first pasuk, the Torah refers to the children as your sons and daughters. In the second pasuk, it is simply sons and daughters to whom you will give birth. Furthermore, in the first pasuk, your sons and daughters are “given” over to another nation. In the second pasuk, the children are taken away from you, captive of another nation. These are two curses which I think are progressive. At first, the children still belong to us. They are at home…

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Home -> 5776 -> Ki Savo

ובאו עליך כל הברכות האלה והשיגך כי תשמע בקול ד' אלקיך

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Ki Savo, 5776

All these blessings will come upon you and overtake you, if you will hearken to the voice of Hashem, your G-d. (28:2)

A common attitude of (which we will refer to as) spiritual entitlement exists among some of us, which is indicative of feeling of spiritual superiority and self-righteousness: “Es kumt es mir; “I deserve it/it is coming to me” is a notion that some of us maintain, although we do not explicitly articulate it. The attitude is, “I am good, and, thus, I deserve to be the recipient of abundant reward.” This applies to those who observe Torah and mitzvos and expect a Heavenly check in the mail, as well as to those who have been victims of various forms of…

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Home -> 5776 -> Ki Savo

אלה יעמדו לברך את העם על הר גרזים בעברכם את הירדן שמעון ולוי ויהודה ויששכר ויוסף ובנימין

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Ki Savo, 5776

These shall stand to bless the people on Har Gerizim, when you have crossed the Yarden: Shimon, Levi, Yehudah, Yissachar, Yosef and Binyamin. (27:12)

As soon as the nation entered the Land, the people were to assemble at two mountains to re-accept the Torah. Twelve commandments would be enumerated, which the people would acknowledge publicly, affirming their understanding that those who observed these commandments would be blessed and those who reneged them would be cursed. Representatives of six tribes would stand on one mountain (Har Gerizim) for blessing, and representatives of the other six tribes would stand opposite on the other mountain (Har Eival) for curse. The twelve commandments which were Divinely selected are such acts that can be carried out covertly. A subtle…

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Home -> 5776 -> Kedoshim

מפני שיבה תקום והדרת פני זקן

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Kedoshim, 5776

Before an old man you shall rise, you shall honor the presence of a sage. (19:32)

The pasuk appears to be redundant – unless a difference exists between zaken and seivah. The Talmud Kiddushin 32b, explains that a zaken is zeh she’kanah chochmah, “one who has acquired wisdom.” Wisdom and age are not necessarily synonymous. Some young people have– either due to sheer brilliance or great effort– achieved the title of zaken. They are erudite scholars who are able to hold their own with the sages of “old.” Alas, some elderly Jews — due to their advanced age– deserve the title seivah; they are not by definition, zekeinim, since they are not erudite, as they have…

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Home -> 5776 -> Kedoshim

ואהבת לרעך כמוך

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Kedoshim, 5776

You shall love your fellow as yourself. (19:18)

How does one define friendship? Obviously, varied responses might address this question. The one which I feel is most appropriate is: “A true friend is consistently willing and prepared to place the happiness of the other above the friendship.” A good friend does not fear being brutally honest concerning his friend’s shortcomings if he thinks that it will save him from failure. It goes without saying that the friend will use common sense in conveying his message. A good friend will not refrain from telling his friend something that he might not want to hear – something that might even…

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Home -> 5776 -> Kedoshim

לא תעמד על דם רעך

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Kedoshim, 5776

You shall not stand aside while your brother’s blood is shed. (19:16)

Rashi explains that one may not stand idly by witnessing his friend drowning in the river and not save him. Likewise, if a wild animal or a robber is chasing his friend, he must take action to save him. In the secular world, one who reaches out to his fellow is considered a kind person. One who acts maliciously to hurt his fellow is considered a cruel person. The one who does nothing, acts normally, does not want to get involved, is neither good nor bad. No laws enjoin us to be kind. The Torah has a different view.  Torah…

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Home -> 5776 -> Kedoshim

בצדק תשפוט עמיתך

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Kedoshim, 5776

With righteousness shall you judge your fellow. (19:15)

We must be careful not to condemn. While a person may have acted inappropriately, we must give him the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps we are unaware of what actually occurred or of the extenuating circumstances that quite possibly played a role in the individual’s decision to act as he did. There is no question that it is, at times, difficult to give a person the benefit of the doubt – especially when we have no doubt. He was wrong; there are no two ways about it. Yet, the Torah enjoins us to judge him righteously. It becomes increasingly difficult…

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Home -> Ha'azinu -> 5776

אשר תצוום את בניכם לשמר לעשות את כל דברי התורה הזאת ...כי לא דבר רק הוא מכם כי הוא חייכם

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In 5776, Ha'azinu

With which you are to instruct your children, to be careful to perform all the words of this Torah. For it is not an empty thing for you, for it is your life. (32: 46,47)

We are commanded to instruct our children to observe the Torah and perform its mitzvos, because it is our life.  Simply, this refers to the Torah which is the source of our life, for without it one does not truly live.  He exists in the physical sense, but if the meaning of life eludes him, can he be considered truly alive?  Alternatively, “it” refers to our children whom we have instructed in the ways of Hashem and who carry on the legacy of our instruction.  In the Talmud Taanis 5B, Chazal state, Mah zaru b’chaim, af hu b’chaim;  “Just as…

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Home -> Ha'azinu -> 5776

לשמור לעשות את כל דברי התורה הזאת

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In 5776, Ha'azinu

To be careful to perform all the words of the Torah. (32:46)

The Jew is obliged to observe the Torah, adhere to its mitzvos and carry out our acts of human kindness, regardless of the circumstances in his life which might impede him.  Commitment is not always easy.  Observance is not a walk in the park.  This does not change one’s responsibility to Hashem.  Horav Yaakov Galinsky, zl, relates that he once had a conversation with a yet-unobservant Jew concerning the significance of mitzvah observance in contemporary times.  “So much has changed,” the man insisted.  “We have moved on from the dark ages.  I am not against observing the Torah, but change…

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